Protection
by Riksie-Dixie
Summary: Most villains are still human in the end. So, why is Crocodile cold and guarded? What's his reason for being against the World Government? An inside perspective on why Crocodile is the way that he is.


"Protection"

Most villains are still human in the end. So, why is Crocodile cold and guarded? What's his reason for being against the World Government? An inside perspective on why Crocodile is the way that he is.

A/N: I know a lot of people probably won't like this because of OOC chances and OCs. However, I wanted to play around with Crocodile's past, since it's still a secret, and how a relationship with a child would work out. This is also a challenge for me, as I was trying my best to keep Crocodile in-character.

Disclaimer: I only own the OCs mentioned in the story.

* * *

If it were up to Crocodile, he would overthrow the World Government by himself. Of course, one man against over a million Marines was suicide. Very few people had the guts to stand up to them, and for good reason. He may have been arrogant, but he wasn't completely reckless.

As he sat in the lavish lounge and drank some sake, Crocodile couldn't help but begin to think why he disliked the World Government so. Aside from their pompous attitudes, thinking they could do whatever they pleased, there was one more reason that escaped his mind. It wasn't until a wary waitress passed by him with a plate full of dirty dishes did he remember what the case was.

Thinking about the past, Crocodile couldn't believe he was so carefree and naive. Adventures weren't all fun and games; achieving fame was easier said than done, but finding the One Piece and becoming the Pirate King was not. He paid the price for his dreams, as proven by his face and the missing hand. He didn't want to risk anymore by believing in foolish delusions.

It began three years before Gol D. Roger was executed and the Golden Age of Piracy started. Crocodile met a woman in an alleyway; the encounter was rather strange, seeing as she had two Marines tied up with glue and their wallets in her hand. Without so much as a word to him, she ran off. However, the two ran into each other more often after that before he and his gang left the island. Over time, she began to talk to him, if not throw a few taunts his way while she was at it.

When Crocodile and his crowd departed from the island, one of his crew members discovered that she stowed away on the ship. He wasn't angry about it; he was curious about her intentions for sneaking onto the ship. So, he interrogated the woman, whose name he soon learned to be Tierra, but she avoided his questions like the plague. Subsequently, he threatened to bring her back to the island, causing her to cave and reveal her purpose: she was searching for her father, who was possibly taken by the Marines.

Like his team, Crocodile was hesitant to keep her on board the ship in fear of betrayal, but discovered that some of her assets could be useful, such as her Devil-Fruit powers, from the Glue-Glue Fruit, and stealth. He eventually allowed her to stay after a debate with his troop. It took a while and favors on her part, but they came to accept her. A few months together on the ship allowed the new lackey and his band to bond, but it also granted the captain and his attendant time to develop a romantic relationship. It bloomed into something more after four years together, as Tierra fell pregnant with his child; why they hadn't used protection was beyond him, although perhaps it could have been the heat of the moment, since intercourse between the two was rather spontaneous.

_"I'm pregnant." The statement had been as straight forward as that. The two were alone on the deck and she brought it up, out of the blue. Seeing as he was stunned, she continued on, "I want to abort it, it'll just cause us too many problems."_

_The last statement snapped Crocodile out of his stupor. "What?" His face darkened and he appeared angry. "This child... I know it's mine as well. Have you thought about if I want the child?" He looked down into her eyes and said, "You won't kill it, I won't let you."_

_She looked appalled and upset, her face clouded with disbelief. "You're not thinking about keeping it, are you?" Tierra sneered. "If you don't want it killed, then we'll put it up for adoption! I'm not keeping it!"_

_"What happens if someone finds out the kid's parentage?" Crocodile reasoned, "One of our enemies or the Marines could use it as leverage against us; we'd be manipulated..." He frowned. "It's too risky."_

_"They'll probably come to the conclusion about the relation quicker if it stays with us!" Tierra exclaimed, looking frustrated, "The only way that's safe is to kill it, give it a better life with someone else!"_

_"Not if I can help it," he continued, "I want this... an heir... I know what I need to do, and I'm willing to take all precautions necessary to make sure the kid's safe."_

_"But..." Before she could continue, she looked into his eyes before diverting her gaze and her cheeks turned pink. He knew she was utterly devoted to him, which allowed him to use it to his advantage._

Needless to say, she kept the child, despite a few attempts to abort the child behind his back through heavier than normal drinking. Crocodile knew the consequences of having a child born from pirate blood back then because the newspapers around the world reported what happened with Gol D. Roger's wife and child a few years prior, with the Marines hunting them down, and concluded the punishment would be equally or more harsh for having pirate blood from both parents. Because of this, he took extra precautions with his child, named Viona, and was particularly careful about interacting with her in public. Whenever he felt it was safe to take Viona out in public on an island, he or one of his crew mates would be in disguise. However, on his ship and out of view of the public eye, he was free to interact with her as much as he wanted. He cared about her dearly, trying to fill the hole of the negligent mother. He couldn't believe the woman had the audacity to stay on the ship and not care for their child, but GE didn't have the heart to kick her off of the ship.

Sometimes, he lied to Viona in order to protect her innocent mind from the harsh outer world.

_"Papa, why do you look funny when we go out?" The four year old asked one evening as he was tucking her into bed._

_Crocodile was waiting for her to bring this up, but he never thought of a way to answer her. It was far too early to tell her the truth, about who her parents really were._

_"Because Papa doesn't want people to recognize him, dear."_

_"Why?"_

_"I'm a... rather well known person, and I don't want those people to take you away from me."_

_Surprisingly, Viona didn't persist, but her eyes watered as she sprung out from under her covers and wrapped her arms around his neck in an embrace. "I don't wanna leave you, Papa." She buried her head into his neck. "I love you..."_

Well, his explanation was partially true... The short and sweet version of it, to say the least. Needless to say, she never bothered to question the topic much as she grew with age. However, it took a while to stop her from clinging to him and convince her that he wasn't going anywhere.

By the time Viona turned six, an "accident" with one of the crew members and Viona happened, where a vengeful crew member tried to use Viona as leverage.

_A loud and shrill scream sounded out from the confines of the ship's cabin. It received the attention of Crocodile and Tierra, who immediately rushed to the source of the noise. What Crocodile saw shocked him._

_Standing before his young daughter in the kitchen was one of the cabin boys, who had a sharp hook in his hand and looked ready to strike at the young girl. Viona looked terrified, as her face was pale and tears were streaming down her rosy cheeks. When she spotted Crocodile, she immediately ran over to him and clung to his leg._

_The cabin boy stood up to his full height. "Payback." He sneered at the child, hiding behind her parents, before looking back up at Crocodile. "You bastard; you killed my family, and now I'll kill your family, and then you!" He took out a kairoseki stick from behind him and ran at Crocodile within the small confined area._

_However, Crocodile was faster and grabbed the kairoseki in his hand before using his strength to push the cabin boy backwards. His gaze landed on Tierra and Viona, the little girl watching him in fear. "Take her outside!" Crocodile ordered Tierra, and she obeyed without a word._

_Once the two were out of sight, he turned back to the cabin boy pushed and grabbed the charging man by his throat. "You can threaten me all you'd like, but you never, ever, attack my family." As Crocodile said this, his grip tightened as the moisture was sucked out of him until all that was left was a pile of dust._

It changed him, dramatically; almost like reality was hitting him square in the face with a fist full of the truth. He was too... trusting, even with his own crew. It made him feel like a fool. Crocodile began to cut himself off from the rest of his crew, along with his lover and daughter.

As a result, Tierra left with Viona to travel with her brother and Viona's uncle, Piaras, after telling Crocodile. At first, he was angry because he didn't believe what she was saying. Through her own evidence and reasoning. he eventually agreed that it would be best, but wanted to keep in contact with them. Before Tierra left, she gave Crocodile her Den-Den Mushi, the one she used to call her brother. Crocodile's contact with the girls remained steady for a few months before communications between the two parties stopped over a year.

When Viona was thirteen, Tierra decided - on a whim, he thought - to travel to the New World for the first time. Needless to say, Tierra found him in Alabasta and asked for a request.

_Sitting across from him, in a secret room of his new casino, was his former lover, Jelckama Tierra. He hadn't seen nor heard from her in seven years, so it was a surprise to see her now._

_"Why are you here?" Right to the point, because dilly dallying was only a waste of time. He wanted to make this fast so he could continue with his plans._

_"I plan on heading out to the New World." When he gave her a look motioning for her to continue, she said, "I want you to keep Viona here, for protection."_

_Crocodile gave a dry chuckle. "Why should I? You seemed to be taking fine care of her, last time I checked." The sarcasm dripped off his last statement, because he remembered Tierra's incompetent parenting skills; she hadn't changed a bit. He took out one of his cigars and lit it up._

_Tierra sighed. "Yes, I know I'm the last person to receive the mother of the year reward, but that doesn't mean I'm not trying." Her hands gripped the edges of the table as she put her head down. "The New World is dangerous, and I don't want her hurt; it would be reckless of me to take her there." She looked back up at him. "Plus, you're a War Lord. The Marines know you'll be taking fine care of this island, so they won't be here any time soon."_

_"My, my. I may just have to make you beg me to keep her." He smirked around his cigar. "Because last I recall, you didn't want my help, nor did you need it." Again with the sarcasm; he noticed that he was getting under her skin._

_She stood up and slammed her hands on the table. "I never said I didn't want your help; I'm asking for it now. I want her safe, and I know you do as well." A smirk suddenly spread across her face. "If you don't take her, I'll have to figure out what you're up to, because I know you; you're far from being a hero."_

_That irked him: her own arrogance. He ended up chomping his cigar in half as he stood up and aimed his hook at her throat. She didn't flinch, nor did she look nervous, but he could tell she was intimidated. "Nobody blackmails me." He ran his hook down the side of her face to enforce a threat. "Anyone who does never lives to see another day."_

Crocodile ended up taking Viona in regardless. He wasn't about to leave her in the streets, knowing her mother would most likely throw her there if needed. Although she claimed to have changed, he knew better than to take her word.

Crocodile wasn't surprised to figure out his daughter changed from an energetic little one to a shy and weak teenager; he blamed it on puberty, if not the girl's mother and her crew. Needless to say, he began to teach her how to defend herself before he became busy with his plans, because anyone and everyone could be a danger, leaving you to fend for yourself. The training was held in secret. During this time, he also attempted to help with her social skills.

_Miss All-Sunday arrived at his place before he did, although he was a short ways behind. His sharp business partner caught sight of his daughter, who was cleaning here and there. "I never knew you had an interest in young girls, Sir," she teased, causing him to grit his teeth._

_Before he could retaliate, a meek voice started. "M-my name is V-Viona..." The young teenager couldn't make eye contact with his associate, he could tell. "I-I'm a maid... f-for Mister Crocodile, M-Ma'am." She was shaking a little bit as well. It was pathetic; her posture and stutter made her look weak. Nonetheless, Miss All-Sunday gave her a polite smile and introduced herself as her business alias before she and Crocodile got down to business._

_Once the meeting was done and Nico Robin headed back to her own place, Crocodile remarked, "You'll never get anywhere in life if you're going to be like this." With his head held high, he continued, "You looked too vulnerable, it would be easy to take advantage of you." _Although he was trying to protect her back then, he could now admit that he may have been a bit rash.

As she grew up, she became a bit more authoritative and prideful, like himself, although she had a little more compassion for others. When she turned eighteen, Viona left Alabasta with a friend of her's shortly before the Straw Hat pirates arrived in the region. She left Crocodile a small note, detailing what she was doing. He wasn't angered in the slightest; he preferred her to go off on her own while his plans commenced. Although he was a changed man, he still wished to protect her from his own imperfections... Then again, he also knew that she often turned a blind eye to what he was doing, so either way, they would've been fine.

For two years, the contact between himself and his daughter was nonexistent. If they had the means of communication, they probably wouldn't have talked, either. They were their own people, doing their own activities.

After the Marineford War, he headed out to the New World with Daz Bones. Not far from the Red Line, they stopped at Minas, a windy valley of an island, and obtained a local newspaper detailing the renovation and reopening of a bistro, called Cheer's, run by his daughter and another man...

A woman's hand appeared in front of his face, snapping her fingers. "Oi, are you alright?" The tall barmaid asked, once she received his attention once more, "You're spacing out on me." Her smirk indicated she was merely teasing him.

Crocodile looked up at the blonde and pushed her hand out of his face, looking a bit irritated and far from amused. "I'm fine." He drank the rest of his drink and put the tankard back on the counter. "Just give me another refill.."

Hesitantly, she took the mug. "Are you sure? I mean, it's your fifth drink of the night..." Nonetheless, the woman refilled it with what he wanted and gave it back to him, sighing after she did.

This was what his daughter became. Taking a good look at her, he realized how much of her mother's features she received. The only attributes she gained from him were eye color, a light blue, and height, seeing as she was a few inches taller than her mother at 6'5", last he remembered. Shaking his head back to the moment, he replied, "Don't worry about me, just do your job." He looked over at a scene where two large men, very drunk, were fighting, and a few of the waitresses were having trouble holding them back. "You may want to take care of that."

After Viona rolled her eyes at him, she looked over at the scene he mentioned and her jaw nearly dropped, but she did her best to keep a straight face. "Are you kidding me?" She muttered under her breath before going to a door behind the bar and opening it. "Val! We have another one!" She scowled as she headed towards the bickering duo.

Crocodile took his time in drinking his sake, but by the time he was done, Viona and her coworker were still taking care of their problem at hand. However, blood was being spilled as the two thugs were fighting and Viona was passed out on the ground, from her fear of blood, he knew, and her partner was trying to take care of the two himself. He knew she was safe, and she could take care of herself, if needed.

He was proud of what his daughter had become, but not like he'd ever admit it. Before he left, he put a generous amount of money he hijacked under the mug. She wouldn't suffer because of her parents' pasts; he wouldn't allow it. No parent should have to plan their own child's funeral.


End file.
